'12 Years A Slave' review by Captain Raptor
2013 is firmly behind us now and it's time to embark upon the hopefully rewarding cinematic journey of 2014. It's good to start the year in the cheery mood we mean to go on in with some harrowing, heart-wrenching drama about persecution and racism. 12 Years A Slave is the most talked about film of the moment, one of the few films made on one of the most important topics imaginable and has the most impressive cast this side of a Woody Allen movie, so naturally my interest was piqued.
The most obvious film to make a comparison to would be Django Unchained, but 12 Years A Slave is much closer to something like Schindler's List - total and unabashed tragedy whilst still showing restraint, a bleak tone played out with bucketfuls of pathos and drama, taking one of the worst events of history and examining it through the lens of one troubled protagonist. If that's an apt comparison, then Michael Fassbender is certainly the Amon Goethe character. He plays his utterly repugnant plantation owner with aplomb, showing great range and depth in his performance, and he threatens to steal the show. I say 'threatens' because it's hard to conceive of anybody who could outshine Chiwetel Ejiofor in this film, giving an intensely moving performance where he can mix in some subtlety whilst still breaking out into moments of extreme emotion. His delivery of dialogue and facial expressions alone are enough to not only convince but to completely captivate the viewer, and it's fantastic to finally see him in the leading role he deserves. There's solid performances from the supporting cast too, particularly from Adepero Oduye and Lupita Nyong'o, both giving incredibly emotionally charged performances that hold nothing back. There's also highly nuanced work from Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Dano gives his most memorable performance to date.
As brilliant as the performances are, the absolute best thing about 12 Years A Slave is the directing. Steve McQueen has been handed a fantastic story full of drama and horror, and he sets about presenting it in the best way he could - unflinchingly. 12 Years A Slave is brutal in parts, and goes to great length to portray the genuine suffering of slaves in America, utilising both subtle elements like the dirt-filled, claustrophobic accommodation and more explicit, violent scenes where bones crack and pained, agonized faces are pointed right at the camera. Tension builds over the course of the film and is released in one horrendous, haunting and superlative whipping scene, and it's hard to know whether to concentrate on the pain of the victim, the anger of the perpetrator, the fear and shame of the onlookers or the gore and brutality of the punishment. Also brilliant is McQueen's use of audio overlap - Cumberbatch's idyllic preaching sequences have the sounds of racist taunts and cries of anguish played underneath to keep the shocking and melancholic atmosphere at its peak.
12 Years A Slave is truly phenomenal. It's not an easy watch and parts of it will make you want to crawl out your own skin, but it's insuppressible, enthralling and sublime. There's so many amazing components that it's hard to fit everything into one review whilst doing it justice. Steve McQueen displays some of the smartest, most dramatic and affecting directing that I've ever witnessed, Fassbender and Ejiofor give knock-put performances, and the film's harsh tone and total conviction make it an intense and hugely engrossing movie.
The most obvious film to make a comparison to would be Django Unchained, but 12 Years A Slave is much closer to something like Schindler's List - total and unabashed tragedy whilst still showing restraint, a bleak tone played out with bucketfuls of pathos and drama, taking one of the worst events of history and examining it through the lens of one troubled protagonist. If that's an apt comparison, then Michael Fassbender is certainly the Amon Goethe character. He plays his utterly repugnant plantation owner with aplomb, showing great range and depth in his performance, and he threatens to steal the show. I say 'threatens' because it's hard to conceive of anybody who could outshine Chiwetel Ejiofor in this film, giving an intensely moving performance where he can mix in some subtlety whilst still breaking out into moments of extreme emotion. His delivery of dialogue and facial expressions alone are enough to not only convince but to completely captivate the viewer, and it's fantastic to finally see him in the leading role he deserves. There's solid performances from the supporting cast too, particularly from Adepero Oduye and Lupita Nyong'o, both giving incredibly emotionally charged performances that hold nothing back. There's also highly nuanced work from Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Dano gives his most memorable performance to date.
As brilliant as the performances are, the absolute best thing about 12 Years A Slave is the directing. Steve McQueen has been handed a fantastic story full of drama and horror, and he sets about presenting it in the best way he could - unflinchingly. 12 Years A Slave is brutal in parts, and goes to great length to portray the genuine suffering of slaves in America, utilising both subtle elements like the dirt-filled, claustrophobic accommodation and more explicit, violent scenes where bones crack and pained, agonized faces are pointed right at the camera. Tension builds over the course of the film and is released in one horrendous, haunting and superlative whipping scene, and it's hard to know whether to concentrate on the pain of the victim, the anger of the perpetrator, the fear and shame of the onlookers or the gore and brutality of the punishment. Also brilliant is McQueen's use of audio overlap - Cumberbatch's idyllic preaching sequences have the sounds of racist taunts and cries of anguish played underneath to keep the shocking and melancholic atmosphere at its peak.
12 Years A Slave is truly phenomenal. It's not an easy watch and parts of it will make you want to crawl out your own skin, but it's insuppressible, enthralling and sublime. There's so many amazing components that it's hard to fit everything into one review whilst doing it justice. Steve McQueen displays some of the smartest, most dramatic and affecting directing that I've ever witnessed, Fassbender and Ejiofor give knock-put performances, and the film's harsh tone and total conviction make it an intense and hugely engrossing movie.
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